From Jaipur to Pushkar and Udaipur...

Hiya folks!

So, the ludicrously out of date blog continues but you'll forgive us considering theres a power cut here every 30 minutes or so!

So we've left Jaipur and head on the bus with Martin to Pushkar, a sleepy town a bit further west. Further west means hotter! The bus which is supposed to be air conditioned, is of course without AC and offers only a window to open which may as well be an oven door in this 45 degree heat. I struggle with the heat for the first time and cant wait for this trip to be over. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) this "direct" bus is anything but. The conductor and driver have a little side business going where they pick up people every 3km or so charging them 7rs a go! Cheeky buggers! The journey therefore takes over an hour longer than it should. When we finally arrive in pushkar the heat is stifling and the landscape changes drastically, you can really tell you're in the desert here.

Pushkar itself is lovely but Neet has taken a dislike to it, probably because it's a bit smellier and dirtier than Jaipur. I on the other hand love it here and am really getting used to the village life. Pushkar is one of the holiest places in India, and the only place in India where they have temples dedicated to Brahma, creator of the universe. Every morning I get up at 6am and go out to immerse myself in the morning village life which is really fascinating. I get myself a coffee, sit outside and watch the world go by. There are so many cows here, presumably because its such a holy place, but there's also far too many hippies on old Enfield motorcycles with dredlocks harping on about Indian culture and peace and love. I resist the temptation to slap them. But only barely...

The days in Pushkar are passed by meandering through the streets, markets and chatting to locals. Neeta even starts to warm to this laid back place.

On our third day we meet some of the best people I've met in India so far. I'm getting some Tabla lessons from a guy called Vinod who works above a hotel, next door to the left is a clothes shop run by 20 year old Uttam (a.k.a John) the hotel is staffed by Kailash Kumar (a.k.a King) and to the right is Hanuman the tailor, a weasly little fellow who makes me laugh with his little comments as he spots attractive ladies walking by! We make great friends in Vinod, Uttam and Kailash, and they invite us out for Pizza one night, a monthly treat for them if business has been good. These guys are top fellas, I learn a lot about India and especially the importance of caste and family from them. Hanuman makes me a Kurta and I spend a few hours watching him make it from scratch, a strangely mesmerising experience, therapeutic even

I'm really sad to leave pushkar and our new friends. On the way out of town my thoughts turn to Kailash who is 20 years old and is struggling to put himself through school. He works for 300 rs a month at the hotel (yes that's right, about four quid) as well as finding any odd bits of work during the day. He's an intelligent, charming lad who would do well in any company lucky enough to employ him, he just doesn't have enough money to get him there yet. Persevere Kailash, you'll make it, that I am sure of...

Enter the desert...

Crazy Enfield bikes...

The funniest menu in India, local "deficacy" and "pee" aplently...

A beautiful old temple in Pushkar village...

Me and Uttam...

Extraordinarily gay photo of Martin and Vinod...

Kailash, the man with the plan...

So we leave Pushkar with a heavy heart and Neeta and I head to the train station for the 6 hour ride to Udaipur. Martin tries to get tickets too but they've sold out so he'll join us later on in a couple of days.

Arriving in Udaipur is like pulling into a different country compared to Pushkar. It is really beautiful, romantic and more like Venice than India with its colonial architecture and lakes. The thing that will always stay with me about Udaipur is the way the city turns to gold when the sun sets and they way it seems to glow when the sun rises. This place is stunning, and is Neeta's favourite city so far. Here's some pics...

The photos of me and Neet were taken at a restaurant where, just as the sun goes down thousands upon thousands of bats start to swarm. It was such an unexpected and amazing thing to see, I couldn't really get any photos as they moved so quickly, but it was really something.

The next few days in Udaipur were spent browsing the amazing artwork (which the city is famous for) and seeing some spectacular traditional dance performances including one dance, local to the deserts of Jaisalmer, where a woman dances while balancing 9 water pots on her head. Amazing!!!

Anyway, Neet will update the next blog, but till then, enjoy the bank holiday weekend! We miss you guys